HyWest’s new principal enjoying the ride

Kathleen Szmit

Thursday

Oct 2, 2008 at 2:00 AMOct 2, 2008 at 10:00 PM

Hyannis West principal Pat Sullivan loves bus duty.

Bus duty, Reading Street are Sullivan’s favorite job aspects Hyannis West principal Pat Sullivan loves bus duty. “I get to see all of the kids as they get to school,” she said. Though Sullivan is in her first year as principal of HyWest, she is fast becoming a familiar and welcome face for her students, something Sullivan appreciates. “I love being in education, being part of a larger school community again,” she said. Sullivan, who succeeds former principal Jonathan Hirst, came to HyWest from the Carver district, where she was principal of the John Carver Elementary School. Prior to that Sullivan taught various grades in various locales, with fifth grade being her primary focus. “Teaching is where the action is,” she said. “[But] I understand the role and responsibility of being a principal.” Sullivan is so fervent about her career as an educator that she still maintains contact with many former students, several of whom have gone on to become teachers as well. “I’d like to think I was part of that,” she said. Even a 45-minute commute from Plymouth each day hasn’t dulled her excitement. “It’s a great ride,” she said. “The traffic moves. It’s a great time to get my thinking going or to reflect.” Bus duty is one of many aspects of Sullivan’s new position she is relishing. She also enjoys the school’s new morning recess, an initiative that was voted on at the end of last school year before Sullivan’s arrival. “It’s a new initiative, part of our Responsive Classroom,” said Sullivan. “It’s going well. It motivates kids to be on time and because of it, kids are ready to start learning at 9:00.” As part of the new plan, morning recess is held from 8:30 a.m. to the start of school at 9 a.m. Instead of having students stop mid-morning for a break, they enjoy their outside time first thing, leaving ample time for learning during the morning hours of the school day. Another important part of the HyWest curriculum that Sullivan appreciates is the district’s Reading Street program. “It was implemented in Carver two years ago, so I’m familiar with it,” said Sullivan. “It creates much more successful readers early on, which is what you want to see.” This marks Sullivan’s 18th year as a principal. She said her transition into the Barnstable district has been eased greatly by the support she’s received from the district administration and her HyWest staff. “There are always difficulties,” she said. “But the superintendent and assistant superintendent have been wonderful.” Because the staff at HyWest has worked with Sullivan since her arrival in July, the start of the school year has gone well. Sullivan calls the HyWest staff “passionate. They really love it here,” she said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with such a high-powered staff.” Like many of today’s schools, Sullivan realizes that HyWest has its challenges, including a fairly transient population. Because of that, Sullivan is working with her staff to ensure that each student receives a quality education no matter how long he or she is at HyWest. “We want to continue to do a great job of educating all children,” she said. “To give everybody the best while they’re here.” In the future Sullivan plans to take a class in conversational Portuguese to better talk with and understand her students, while in the immediate future she is looking forward to attending the school’s Oct. 18 Harvest Festival. “Hyannis West has a history of being a very creative, innovative school,” she said. “There is a lot of pride here. It’s great to be a part of that.”

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